Whenever I first enter an unfamiliar territory, I take the typical scenic route. This is what happens to most Westerners in India. In a world of interpreted chaos, we look for trails that have already been blazed, for simple routes to discover what has already been written about time and again, and shuffle like so many others almost numb to our choices. Such is my landing in India.

After meeting my friend, Luke, we set off to see the sights of Dehli, India’s capital city. While meandering between roads and avoiding all loose power lines, Luke and I explore the Red Fort, one of the city’s more well known tourist attractions. Of course, like many other popular sites, foreigners pay at least three times the amount for admittance. However, when looking around at what common people have in their pockets and how much we have in ours, it only makes sense. 

From Dehli, there is a ring of destinations that travelers take to aquaint themselves with  the sub-continent. Collectively, these are called the Raj Route due to the massive structures of palaces and forts built during the British occupation and before. First stop is Jaipur, located in the bone-dry state of Rajasthan. Every area, every city, every region of India has its own culture, which suggests the massive wealth of diversity in the vast country. In Rajasthan, the colors of red, yellow, and blue stand bold and triumph over the heat and dust-licked roads. So it was no surprise when visiting the so called Peacock Gate at the city palace that colors radiated with their own picturesque vivacity.

Next is the holy city of Pushkar, not one of the Raj hot spots but rather a place where devout Hindu meets devout hippie. The winding narrow streets ring with religious calls and harbor India’s gentle beast, the cow. However, due to the poverty and lack of adequate trash desposal, the cows feast on anything that appears edible.  Pushkar is holy in its right that the only Brahman temple resides here. Brahman the god is said to have sent a swan to drop a lotus flower which created a lake, or ghatt, where the pious cleanse themselves spiritually and physically.

Udaipur, known as the “City of Lakes” may be more recognizable to our pop culture minds as the place where the infamous Bond movie “Octopussy” was filmed. The floating palace is not the only attraction in this city. There is also the City Palace, which rooms are reminiscent of a Las Vegas and a history built of weapons and warfare. However, the architecture is stunning. There is also a patio where you can have real English tea time and watch the sun set over the lake.

Yet, as I traveled my first ambitious days in India, I met a man who helped me find a sari of my taste. He taught me something that was almost stupefying my first days but later as I settled into the culture made complete sense. He told me not to spend too much time at the temples and palaces but rather talk to the people. For walls cannot talk but people can, and isn’t it the on the back’s of these people whose ancestors built these roads and palaces the true living history of India?